The Federal Government has said that it is imperative for Nigeria to have a strategic approach to managing its population explosion as indications are that the country would be the third largest country in the world by 2050.
Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, stated this on Monday, September 11, 2017 at the 5th Annual Family Planning Consultative Stakeholders meeting in Abuja.
He said if Nigeria should adopt family planning then the nation would be able to reduce maternal mortality.
The theme of the three-day meeting was: “Investing in Family Planning: Key to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in Nigeria”.
He said: “If we do nothing about family planning, there will be disaster in the land, and we will have emergency on ground.
“Family planning would help to eliminate maternal mortality in the country. We would be able to eliminate a third of a maternal mortality if we adopt aggressive family planning.
“Hence, the need to see it as an issue of national importance. When the mother survives during child delivery, the child will survive. In a situation where the mother loses her life during delivery, the survical mechanism of the baby will be very low. The country is increasing on a daily basis but the country is not increasing in terms of landmass.”
In the same vein, the minister spoke of the readiness of the federal government to achieve a dramatic reduction in fertility, saying, “We want an average of 4% fertility.”
The wife of the Senate President, Toyin Saraki, said it is imperative for government to make contraceptives accessible and affordable.
“And I want to join the stakeholders to urge the Federal Government to make contraceptives accessible and affordable and I want to urge the National Assembly to pass the necessary laws; I’m not asking them to pass laws that would encourage promiscuity. But laws that would educate women so that we can plan our families,” she said.
By Laide Oriere
